Teaching period: 01/09/2025 – 05/09/2025

Location: Helsinki, Finland

Teacher(s): Magnus Quaife and Andy Best + guest teachers

ECTS: 2 ECTS

Number of available places for KUNO students: 10

Level: BA /MA

Application deadline: June 12th, 2025

How to apply: Please fill out this online application: https://link.webropolsurveys.com/S/17E40E3A13877025

Course description
This one-week course will explore how artistic practices might bring new perspectives on the state of the Baltic Sea. The Helsinki Commission’s (HELCOM) 2023 State of the Baltic Sea report explained that. “The Baltic Sea has unique biodiversity, and people around the region depend on its ecosystem in ways that are not always directly apparent or appreciated. But in spite of its ecological, economic and cultural importance, biodiversity is continuously being degraded and lost.” In what ways can artists respond, what kind of strategies can they employ, and how can art make a difference without being instrumentalised or deployed as propaganda? The course will involve artists talks, presentations and discussion with experts on the Baltic Sea, site visits, and workshops and will ultimately ask the students to imagine and plan an artistic response to the crisis that will become the subject of a seminar on the final afternoon.

Blue Green Algae in the Baltic Sea

(Eutrophication is one of the main threats to the biodiversity of the Baltic Sea and is caused by excessive inputs of nutrients to the marine environment. Eutrophication is driven by a surplus of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus in the sea. Nutrient over-enrichment causes elevated levels of algal and plant growth, increased turbidity, oxygen depletion, changes in species composition and nuisance blooms of algae.)

Financial Support by KUNO:
Travel support between countries: 330 € (except 660 € to/from Iceland)
Subsistence: 250 € -1st week (5-7 days).

Eligibility:
- only BA and MA full-degree students from the KUNO network schools can participate;
-exchange students from other institutions, which do not belong to the KUNO network, studying at one of the KUNO network schools, CANNOT participate;
- full-degree students from the KUNO network schools, currently on exchange at another institution, CANNOT participate (neither with nor without the KUNO grant).

In case of any questions please do not hesitate to contact ulla.tissari@uniarts.fi